Secrets and Sunbeams
by RzPz922
Summary: Sara's recently found out that her parents are getting a divorce, and Wirt would do anything to cheer her up, including give her the sun.


_/If you're following me for my MLP story, I'm taking a small hiatus due to lack of progression ideas. So I'm doing another OtGW oneshot to try and get my creative juices flowing again. Get ready for some Poetic Bee fluff!/_

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Months after Wirt and Greg had returned from the Unknown, after Christmas vacation, the weather had warmed up significantly. The boys were both excited for summer, like everyone else. Greg could spend more time at the park without homework getting in the way, and Wirt could hang out with Sara more often and not have to worry about finals or essays. In fact, the fifteen-year-old had just finished getting dressed for an almost-date with the girl.

He pulled a comb through his thin, tangled light brown hair, trying to get it to cooperate, but finally gave up and ruffled it again with his fingers. He grabbed a tape deck and a new mixtape from his bedside table and stuck them in the pockets of his thin, tan jacket.

"Mom! I'm going to meet Sara!" He called from beside the door.

"Okay, Sweetie! Have a good time! I love you!"

"Love you, Mom!"

Wirt stepped out into the driveway and almost ran smack into Greg, who was running around the front yard with his frog on his head. Wirt grabbed his brother's hand and re-directed him to the grass.

"Hey Wirt! Where're you going?" Greg asked.

"I'm going to meet Sara by the lake."

"Ohh! Can I come?" Greg tugged on his brother's arm. He liked Sara. She gave nice hugs.

"I dunno, Greg... Sara said she'd rather meet alone today." Wirt tapped his chin with his forefinger, considering. "Well, I suppose you could come, just stay away from the water and don't bother us, alright?"

Wirt gave Greg a wink and held out his pinkie. Greg locked his own pinkie with it, promising not to bother them. Wirt opened the garage and took out his bike, picked up Greg carefully and balanced him on the handlebars, then got on.

"Hold on tight, alright? I don't want you falling off."

Greg clasped tight to the handlebars and Wirt took off pedaling. He rode down the driveway, across the street to the path, and down it's length for three miles until he made it to a beautiful grassy field just by a lake. Sara's motorbike was already there, so he locked his up next to hers and made his way down the hill towards the lake, Greg still in tow. He saw Sara, in her trademark blue sports jacket, sitting in the grass.

"Sara!" Greg shouted cheerfully.

"Greg!" Wirt hissed, shushing him. Greg retaliated. "Go over there. Remember, don't get too close to the water."

Wirt steered Greg to the left. Greg ran off into the trees and was immediately flocked by deer, birds, squirrels and rabbits. Two or three birds made their way towards the older boy, but he politely waved them off and went to join Sara. He sat down quietly beside her and waved quietly. She waved back and gave him a small smile. Only then did he notice how sad she looked.

Her eyes were tired. Her smile was weak and didn't last very long. The moment he sat down she took his hand. She'd never held his hand right away like that, it usually took at least an hour for her to even touch him.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Sara murmured. "It's just, the other day my parents sat me down and told me they were getting a divorce. My mom's moving out and I'll be living with just my dad. It's kinda hard to deal with, y'know? I guess that's why I just wanted to hang out alone today..."

Wirt's heart grew heavy for the girl. He understood what it was like to be faced with something like that, even though his parents hadn't gotten divorced. He'd lost his father to a car crash when he was about five, and every time someone found out he just had his mom they asked if his parents had gotten a divorce. He squeezed her hand.

"That's tough." He said. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I'd just like to sit with you, if that's okay."

"Sure."

Sara rested her head on Wirt's shoulder, wondering quietly why his skin was so cold. At first it was awkward, because she was crushing his arm and he didn't know what to do, but he figured out it would probably be more comfortable to have his arm around her than under her, and suddenly he was almost holding her. Stroking her soft, black hair. Barely five minutes passed when Wirt glanced down and saw the dandelion twisting itself around his leg. Plantlife always seemed to grow inexplicably fast when either him or Greg was around, which was cool and all, but it always latched itself to their clothes without them noticing, which made it difficult to stand up after sitting in the grass for a long time.

Wirt plucked the dandelion and its stem retreated back into the soil, unwrapping itself from his leg. He studied the attractive weed for a moment before timidly handing it to Sara. She took it between her thumb and forefinger, then smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Wirt, but I'm gonna be honest, dude. You could give me the sun and it wouldn't make a difference. I don't know if I'll ever feel better."

"That's nonsense, I-" Wirt clapped a hand over his mouth before finishing the sentence.

_That's nonsense, I never thought I'd get over my dad dying and I'm fine now? _What kind of a thing was that to say? Instead of trying to correct himself, Wirt decided it would be better to stay silent from that point on. He sat quietly with Sara, the music of the wind in the grass and the reeds and rushing water and the singing of the birds filling his ears. The wind blowing through the reeds sounded like flutes to him, the rustling grass between his toes like violins, and the moving water like a full symphony, complete with percussion and everything. The singing of the birds was beautiful.

One particular bird, a blue bird, perched on the low branch of a nearby tree and sang. Sara only heard soft chirps, but Wirt heard music, and over in the trees, Greg heard the same.

_There are those, who will try, to burn your wings. There are those, who will aim, to claim your victories. _

_But you, are so, much bigger, than you know. And your heart, if you let it, will surely grow. _

_Won't change a single thing, I'm everything I wanna be. I once was a lonely heart, forgot the perks of being me._

_We will survive, our time is coming and we will be fine. So don't you worry._

The more Wirt listened to the bird's song, the more he felt it was meant for Sara. If only she could hear it. He mulled over her words. _You could give me the sun and it wouldn't make a difference. _He continued to stroke her hair softly, looking up at the sky. The sun was moving slowly towards the horizon as night grew ever closer. The sky was glowing a pinkish-orange color, and Wirt almost felt like he could reach out and grab the retreating light.

The more he thought about it, the more he wondered why he _couldn't._ Since he and Greg had come back from the Unknown, strange things still kept happening. Their mother kept them in bed for two weeks after they were safe to leave the hospital because of their cold skin and significantly slower heartbeats. Greg's dad finally convinced her to let them go back to school when he determined it was more than likely lasting aftershock from almost drowning, and it would probably be gone soon.

Unbeknownst to them, however, Wirt and Greg's hearts still beat slowly. Their skin was still cold. That wasn't all, though. Every time the boys went to the park, they were flocked by animals. Raccoons, deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds, etc. Greg even discovered he could hear some of these animals' thoughts, including those of Jason Funderburker (the frog, not the person). Of course that was a huge tipping point, as well as when Wirt started hearing actual music in the wind and the water rather than metaphorical.

Wirt decided finally that he _should _give Sara the sun. Or, he should at least _try. _It wasn't as though it was completely insane. People often mentioned how lights in a room seemed to act up whenever Wirt was around.

"...Do you want it?" He asked at last.

Sara looked up at him.

"Hm?"

"Do you want the sun?"

"What does that mean?"

"You said I could give you the sun and it wouldn't make a difference, right? I could try to give you the sun. You always say the lights act weird when I'm around, it shouldn't be too hard."

Sara smiled again and wrapped her arms around Wirt's torso. _What a sweet gesture, _she thought. _Give me the sun, Wirt. _She burrowed her face into his chest softly.

Wirt was surprised when Sara hugged him so suddenly. This was the most touchy she'd ever been with him. The most they ever did was hold hands or give each other high-fives. Hugs were almost a once-in-a-lifetime thing, unless she was hugging Greg. He didn't protest, though, and continued stroking her hair.

Did the hug mean she wanted him to try? It didn't matter either way. He was going to try. Of course, he wasn't sure what to do. Did he just reach out and grab the light? Would it be that easy, or would he have to try and summon it like they did in most of those mage stories? Wirt thrust his free hand out towards the sunset and held it there for a moment before realizing how ridiculous he looked. He sat back and contemplated how to try and collect sunlight when he heard soft trotting approaching quickly.

He turned softly, trying not to disturb Sara, and saw Greg riding towards them on the back of a deer. He gasped. Sara sat up and turned around as well.

"Is your brother riding a deer?"

"Greg!" He hissed. "Get off of that thing! You could get sick!"

"Okay," Greg said, and jumped off the deer's back. "What were you doing with your hand out like that?"

"Trying to get part of the sun for Sara." He admitted quietly, realizing how stupid that sounded. Sara giggled softly.

"You can do that?" Greg exclaimed with wonder.

"I don't actually know. Now go away!"

Greg scratched his head in a contemplative fashion. He picked up Jason Funderburker and stared at him, like he was telling him to think, too.

"Why don't you just tell the sunlight you want to hold it?" He suggested finally.

"I don't think it's that simple, Greg."

Greg shrugged and moved back a few feet before plopping down in the grass and crossing his legs manner-of-factly. He watched Wirt and Sara as if he was expecting them to do something. Sara sat back, leaning on her hands for support. She also looked at Wirt as though she was expecting something.

"What are you looking at me for?" He asked.

"Why don't you try?" Sara suggested softly. Her voices sounded shaky, as it had since the first words she'd spoken that day. It was as if she'd been holding back tears all day.

She figured she should humor Greg. Besides, if Wirt was really willing to try and get a handful of burning gas from space for her, she might as well be supportive even if it sounded completely crazy.

Wirt screwed up his face in concentration and faced the sunset. The pinkish-orange light had turned to an orangish-red and was spilling across the mountains. It looked to all three as though they could collect it in a jar. Wirt glanced back at Sara, who had an eyebrow raised but still looked like she really wanted him to try. Greg, on the other hand, looked encouraging.

He reached towards the horizon for the golden sunset. When he closed his hand in a fist, he actually felt something in his palm. He pulled his hand back and reached out with his other hand, continuing the process until his hands felt full. He brought both hands carefully to his chest and opened them slowly. Crimson sunlight danced around his palms. He suddenly felt warm all over, a sensation he hadn't felt since returning from the Unknown. He glanced back at Sara again, whose mouth had dropped open. Her eyes were wide with shock. Greg's smile stretched across his entire face.

"Hold out your hands, Sara." Wirt said. She obeyed.

He wasn't sure why, but somehow he felt like he knew exactly what to do. He placed his hands in hers, still holding the sunbeam. Her dark hands closed around his pale ones. Gently he pushed towards her chest. The sunbeam seemed to engulf her in light. It faded as quickly as it had appeared.

Greg clapped his hands in pure joy. Wirt was shocked he'd even been able to do it. Tears filled Sara's eyes, and for a moment Wirt was horrified he'd made a mistake before realizing the smile on her face. It was still weak, but it was there. She almost collapsed into his arms. He pushed her hair back and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down. Their lips met in a real kiss. Greg almost started cheering, and held up Jason Funderburker so he could see.

"_Tell them it's about time!"_ The frog thought directly at his owner.

Greg giggled.

Sara released Wirt from the kiss when the warmth left his face. His skin was back to feeling cold again. Wirt kissed her again, and she decided the cold kiss wasn't so bad, so long as it came from Wirt. He lay on his back and she rested her head on his chest, listening to his slow heartbeat. Greg lay beside them, and they stayed that way, talking quietly, until dark.

"Well, I should probably go..." Wirt said, pulling the grass and flowers from his clothes and freeing Greg from the plants' grip, as well. "Gotta get the little one home, y'know?"

Sara smiled and kissed Wirt's cheek. They walked to their bikes together. Wirt returned Greg to the handlebars and took off.

"Jason Funderburker said it's about time." Greg said. "It's a rock fact!"

The smile didn't leave Wirt's face, and still hadn't faded by the time they'd gotten home. Wirt picked up Greg from the handlebars and spun the boy around, earning a blissful laugh from his half-brother. He set him back down and walked inside with him. Their mother was sitting in her chair when they went inside and caught sight of her eldest son's grin.

"How'd it go, Sweetie? How's Sara doing?" She asked.

"Not too hot, her parents are getting a divorce,"

"But Wirt gave her the sun to cheer her up and she's better now!" Greg jumped up and down.

The boys' mother clutched her heart, joining the grin party. She swept Wirt up in her arms and squeezed him.

"Oh, my little Romeo! Such a sweet, sensitive boy!" Her heart glowed, knowing her boy had gotten his sensitivity from his father. He'd have done anything to lift her spirits when she was unhappy, and it seemed Wirt would do the same for Sara.

Wirt pulled away from the hug gently and ruffled Greg's hair.

"Haha, I sure did, didn't I Greg?" He said. "We'll be right back, Mom."

"Okay, Sweetie!"

Wirt rushed Greg up to his room, bent down and faced the smaller boy.

"Remember that promise we made when you started hearing animals' thoughts, Greg?" His half-brother nodded. "That goes for all of our abilities, okay? Mom and your Dad can't know that I can actually do that. Promise."

The boys locked pinkies once again and returned downstairs. As Wirt sat at the dinner table and dug into his dinner, he decided on two words that could describe the day. Secrets and sunbeams.

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_/Well, that's over with! I hope you enjoyed that bit of fluff, because I sure enjoyed writing it! The lyrics I used for the bird's song don't belong to me. They're from a song called Perks of Being Me by Ashestoashesjc, which is a beautiful song and I recommend you give it a listen./_


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